Ingredients for a Successful Morning Routine

“How you do your morning is how you do pretty much everything.”

Do you wake up, jump out of bed and go a mile a minute right away?

Do you ease out of bed slowly, taking time to stretch, expressing your gratitude, setting mindful intentions and tend to your spiritual needs before engaging with the world?

Or is there another version that is yours?

I begin Chapter 6 in Smart Self-Care for Busy Women with that statement and I really believe it to be true.

In my 20s, I was that woman who got out of bed at the last possible moment, showered, grabbed breakfast and was out the door for my hour-long commute to work. My days were long and stressful. I rarely took time for lunch and I often returned home after it was dark out.

Now that I’m a bit older and wiser, a newly minted 50-year-old, and an established entrepreneur, I’ve learned that easing into the day is the best way for me to have a peaceful and productive day. Most days (not all, I’m a constant work in progress, too) I take time to do yoga stretches, meditate, journal, and do some spiritual prayer work before even leaving my bedroom.

You can set yourself up for success by creating a morning routine that feels good to you.

Here are 5 Key Ingredients for your Successful Morning Routine:

(adapted from Chapter 6 in my book)

1. Movement: When you first wake up, move your body! It will help to loosen your muscles, clear your mind and boost your mood. It’s a great way to start the day. Choose yoga, stretching, tai chi, swimming or whatever feels good to you.
2. Stillness: Incorporating quiet into your morning routine may seem weird since you just woke up from the peaceful state of sleep. However, intentionally clearing your mind will increase mental clarity and reduce stress. You could meditate or sit and savor your coffee/tea with no agenda.
3. Your Five Senses: Start your day by engaging all of your senses to wake up your body, mind and spirit! Use essential oils in your shower, play upbeat music and dance, pet your furry friends, light a fragrant candle or cook something that tastes delicious.
4. Inspiration: If you have time to fill your cup with something that inspires you, take it. Read something inspirational (a favorite book, scripture readings, book of intentions), step outside in nature for a few minutes and say hello to the birds or talk to your angels, spirit guides or dead grandmother who always has good wisdom for you!
5. Mindset: The more time you invest in setting yourself up for success during the day, the easier things will flow for you. Take a few minutes in the morning to make a list of intentions for the day, choose a theme for the day or visualize each step of your day and how you’d like it to go.

I recently had the pleasure of being interviewed by one of my favorite authors, Sarah Seidelmann, M.D.! She is a life coach and shamanic practitioner who has authored several books. When she learned about my new book, she invited me to be interviewed for her Hummingbird series. It’s a short 20-minute interview filled with great ideas to support your morning routine. I think you’ll enjoy it!

Click here to listen now.

During the interview, we covered the following:

• Morning rituals
• The Golden Goose
• Self-care is not one-size-fits-all
• The miracle of eggs!
• And more…

You can tune in to our conversation here.

Also, Sarah has a new book coming out that I can’t wait to read. It’s called How Good Are You Willing to Let It Get?: Daily FEELGOOD Inspiration for Creatives, Healers, and Helpers. I’ve read all of her other books and she’s funny, quirky, insightful and oh so, wise. I highly recommend anything she writes. I encourage you to check out her work!

Have a great week!

Elizabeth

P.S. I’m doing a weekly Facebook Livestream and most recently tackled the subject, “Stop Giving Away Your Power!” Join my active, new Facebook group to watch it and to get connected and inspired!